Montgomery College Student Team Wins National Essay CompetitionStudents to Present at National Conference for Builders and Contractors

A two-person team of Montgomery College construction management students recently won the National Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Student Essay Competition. This week, students Mary Lowe and David Basham presented their paper at the 2006 ABC National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. ABC and its educational affiliate, the Trimmer Education Foundation, also awarded the team $1,000 in prize money.

Lowe and Basham’s essay, “Seeing Green: Making Money in Green and Sustainable Building,” is one of four winning entries in the third annual competition. Montgomery College is the only community college in the final four. Other winners include the University of Southern Mississippi, University of Wisconsin-Stout and Louisiana State University.

ABC and TEF used a blind review process to examine the essay topics’ relevance to the construction industry, how well the essay articulated its position and the depth of research.

“I am very proud of Mary and David,” said Mario Parcan, coordinator of the construction management program at Montgomery College. “Their win is a testament to the quality of our students and the excellence of our construction management program.”

Last year, Montgomery College students won the grand championship title at the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) annual Student Construction Management Competition. Montgomery College was the only community college represented at the competition.

Montgomery College offers an associate of applied science in construction management to prepare graduates to organize, operate, and manage the systems, procedures, and services in the construction industry. The curriculum prepares students for construction management careers in any type or size of construction firm. In a unique partnership, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore offers its third and fourth-year construction management technology courses at Montgomery College. This allows MC students, who have completed an associate’s degree program in construction management, with the opportunity to pursue a bachelor’s degree from UMES, without ever leaving Montgomery College.

For more information about the construction management program at Montgomery College, contact Mario Parcan, program coordinator, at 301-251-7616.

# # #

Montgomery College is a public, open admissions community college with campuses in Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, plus workforce development/continuing education centers and off-site programs throughout Montgomery County, Md. The College serves more than 55,000 students a year, through both credit and noncredit programs, in more than 100 areas of study.